JPH06842Y2 - Reflective photocoupler - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial field of application] The present invention is applied to, for example, a copying machine, a facsimile, and the like.
The present invention relates to a reflective photocoupler used for detecting that a document, a sheet, or the like has been brought to a predetermined position.

[Conventional technology and its problems]

Conventionally, as this type of sheet feeding position detecting device, a device using a transmissive photocoupler as shown in FIG. 3 is known for a position to be detected. That is, in FIG.
The transmissive photocoupler is a light receiving element such as a light emitting element 2 such as an LED and a phototransistor which are arranged so as to face each other so as to sandwich the passage of the document 1 or the like at a predetermined position in the path of the document or the sheet 1 or the like. When the original document 1 is fed to a predetermined position, the optical path from the light emitting element 2 to the light receiving element 3 is blocked by the original document 1 and the output signal from the light receiving element 3 is inverted. By performing appropriate processing on this output signal by
Is detected to have been fed to a predetermined position.

However, in the transmissive photocoupler having such a configuration, there are variations in the characteristics of the light emitting element 2 and the light receiving element 3. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust this variation after attaching the transmissive photocoupler to various devices. Yes, the adjustment work was troublesome.

Further, FIG. 4 shows a case where a reflection type photocoupler is used, and in this figure, the reflection type photocoupler 4 is
It is composed of a pair of a light emitting element 2 and a light receiving element 3 received in two bores 4a and 4b which are opened along the detection position with respect to the detection side surface of the main body.

According to the reflective photocoupler 4 configured in this way,
When the document or the like 1 to be detected is not above the reflection type photocoupler 4, the light emitted from the light emitting element 2 is not reflected but directly emitted to the outside, and does not enter the light receiving element 3. Therefore, by appropriately processing the output of the light receiving element 3, it is detected that there is no document 1 or the like at a predetermined position above the reflective photocoupler 4.

Here, when the document 1 or the like is conveyed above the reflection type photocoupler 4 as shown by the solid line, the light from the light emitting element 2 is emitted upward through the bore 4a and then reflected by the document 1 or the like. As a result, the light enters the light receiving element 3 through the bore 4b, whereby the output of the light receiving element 3 is inverted from the L level or the H level to the H level or the L level, and the output is appropriately processed. By
It is detected that the document 1 or the like exists above the reflective photocoupler 4.

However, when the original 1 or the like is conveyed above the reflection type photocoupler 4, if the original 1 or the like is an OHP sheet, the surface thereof is relatively smooth, so that the irregular reflection is small. Since there are many regular reflections, the paper feed position can be detected almost accurately as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the manuscript 1 or the like is plain paper, the second original drawing, or the like, since the surface thereof is relatively rough, there are many irregular reflections,
Even if the leading edge of the original document 1 has not reached a predetermined position, the light obliquely emitted from the light emitting element 2 is diffusely reflected by the surface of the original document 1 and enters the light receiving element 3, as shown in FIG. In addition, the detected sheet feeding position is displaced. As a result, in the case of using both plain paper, the second original and OHP paper, if the paper feed position to be detected for one of them is adjusted, the paper feed position for the other to be detected becomes incorrect. There was an inconvenience.

[Purpose of device]

In view of the above points, the present invention provides a method for detecting the material, such as a document, whose paper feeding position is to be detected, for any surface finish.
An object of the present invention is to provide a reflection type photocoupler in which the paper feed position can always be detected accurately regardless of the surface finish.

[Means and Actions for Solving Problems]

According to the present invention, there is provided a reflection type photocoupler including a light emitting element and a light receiving element which are received in the body so as to face an opening provided on one side surface of the body. Among them, at least the light emitting element, so that the optical axis with respect to the opening passes through the side edge of the opening,
This is achieved by the photocouplers arranged so as to be staggered.

According to this invention, at least the light emitting element is displaced with respect to the opening portion, so that the light emitted from the light emitting element is regulated by the opening portion before the predetermined paper feeding position in the traveling direction of the sheet or the like. If the light receiving element is not reached and the light receiving element is also displaced with respect to the opening, the light reflected on the surface of the paper or the like before the sheet feeding position does not enter the light receiving element through the opening. Therefore, even when the material of the paper or the like has a relatively large amount of diffused reflection or a large number of regular reflections, the light from the light emitting element is not emitted from the light emitting element for the first time when the paper or the like is accurately conveyed to the predetermined paper feeding position. Since the light is reflected on the surface of the paper and enters the light receiving element, the paper feed position can always be accurately detected regardless of the material of the paper or the like for which the paper feed position should be detected and the surface finish. Highly accurate detection accuracy It becomes door.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a reflective photocoupler according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the reflection type photocoupler 10 is received inside the main body 11 so as to face two openings 12 and 13 respectively provided on the detection side surface 11a of the main body 11. It is composed of a pair of a light emitting element 14 such as an LED and a light receiving element 15 such as a phototransistor fixed by appropriate means.

The above configuration is similar to the conventional reflective photocoupler 4 shown in FIG. 4, but in the reflective photocoupler 10, the openings 12 and 13 provided on the surface 11a of the main body 11 are further provided. , The paper whose paper feed position should be detected, etc. 1
The light emitting element 14 and the light receiving element 15 are arranged so as to be displaced from the openings 12 and 13 so that the side edge on the front side in the traveling direction of 6 coincides with the central axes of the light emitting element 14 and the light receiving element 15. There is.

The embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, and in exactly the same manner as the case of the conventional reflection type photocoupler 1 shown in FIG.
If the paper 16 or the like to be detected is not above the surface 11a of the reflective photocoupler 10, or if it is brought above the surface 11a, it does not reach the predetermined paper feed position (shown by the chain line) to be detected. In this case, since the light emitted from the light emitting element 14 is regulated by the side edge of the opening 12, the light does not reach the surface of the paper 16 or the like, and therefore is not reflected but directly emitted to the outside to receive light. It is detected that there is no sheet 16 or the like at a predetermined position above the surface 11a of the reflective photocoupler 10 by appropriately processing the output of the light receiving element 15 without entering the element 15.

Further, when the paper 16 or the like is conveyed slightly above the paper feed position above the surface 11a of the reflective photocoupler 10,
The light from the light emitting element 14 is emitted upward through the opening 12 and then reaches the surface of the sheet 16 or the like, and is reflected by the surface to enter the light receiving element 15 through the opening 13. As a result, the output of the light receiving element 15 is inverted from the L level or the H level to the H level or the L level, and the output is appropriately processed, so that a predetermined value above the surface 11a of the reflective photocoupler 10 is obtained. It is detected that the sheet 16 or the like has been brought to the sheet feeding position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, the detection accuracy of the reflective photocoupler 10 enables accurate detection of the paper feed position regardless of the material of the paper 16 or the like.

[Effect of device]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the reflection type photocoupler including the light emitting element and the light receiving element which are received in the body facing the opening provided on the one side surface of the body, the light emitting element and the light receiving element are provided. Since at least the light emitting element among the elements is arranged so as to be shifted such that its optical axis passes through the side edge of the opening with respect to the opening, at least the light emitting element is displaced with respect to the opening. The light emitted from the sheet does not reach the predetermined sheet feeding position in the traveling direction of the sheet or the like due to the regulation by the opening. Similarly, when the light receiving element is also displaced from the opening, the light reflected on the surface of the paper or the like before such a sheet feeding position does not enter the light receiving element through the opening, so When the paper is accurately conveyed to the specified paper feed position, the light from the light emitting element will not be reflected on the surface of the paper for the first time regardless of whether the material such as is relatively diffusely reflected or has many regular reflections. Since the light is reflected and incident on the light receiving element, the paper feeding position can always be accurately detected regardless of the material of the paper or the like for which the paper feeding position should be detected and the surface finish. Will be obtained.

Thus, according to the present invention, the material of the original or the like for which the paper feeding position is to be detected and the surface finish are
It is possible to provide an extremely excellent reflective photocoupler that can always accurately detect the paper feed position regardless of the surface finish.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a reflective photocoupler according to the present invention, (A) is a schematic sectional view, (B) is a plan view, and FIG. 2 is a graph showing sensitivity characteristics according to the embodiment of FIG. , FIG. 3 is a schematic view in the case of detecting the sheet feeding position using a transmissive photocoupler. FIG. 4 shows an example of a conventional reflective photocoupler. (A) is a schematic sectional view, (B) is a side view, and FIG. 5 is a graph showing the sensitivity characteristics of the reflective photocoupler of FIG. Is. 10 ... Reflective photocoupler; 11 ... Main body; 12, 13 ...
Opening portion; 14 ... Light emitting element; 15 ... Light receiving element; 16 ... Paper and the like.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A reflection type photocoupler including a light emitting element and a light receiving element received in the main body so as to face an opening provided on one side surface of the main body, and at least the light emitting element of the light emitting element and the light receiving element. However, the reflection type photocoupler is arranged so that the optical axis of the opening is shifted so as to pass through the side edge of the opening.